THE wife of embattled Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez has been banned from leaving the country and ordered to surrender her passport as preparations begin for her high-profile corruption trial.
Earlier this year, Begoña Gomez was formally charged with influence peddling, embezzlement and misappropriation of funds following a two-year investigation into her professional life.
The probe was launched by a Madrid court in April 2024 after a complaint was lodged by Manos Limpias (‘Clean Hands’), a trade union with far-right links.
Gomez, 55, who denies any wrongdoing, is accused of using her proximity to the prime minister’s office to secure a post at Madrid’s Compultense University and benefit business contacts.
The judge in the case, Juan Carlos Peinado, released an 84-page court order on Saturday which said Gomez would be trialed in front of a jury at an unspecified date.
He also imposed a range of ‘precautionary measures’, including a ban on leaving Spain, the withdrawal of her passport and a requirement to report to court every fortnight.
Controversially, Peinado said Gomez now constitutes a flight risk, even arguing that police officers who guard the prime minister and his wife could help her to flee, even on their own accord or under order from superiors.
Those comments have stunned Spain and provoked deep anger among police unions, who have dismissed the suggestion as ‘baseless’.
Sanchez’s government have also hit back firmly, saying: “This confirms the persecution, obsession and judicial over-reach of a judge who has conducted an investigation devoid of any legal basis and motivated solely by political considerations.”
The prime minister has consistently accused the media and opposition of launching a ‘harassment and bullying operation’ against his family.
The upcoming trial is one of several corruption cases involving figures at the heart of Sanchez’s administration and family.
His brother, David Sanchez, is awaiting a court verdict after last month becoming the first relative of a sitting Spanish premier in the country’s democratic history to stand trial in a corruption case.
He faces accusations of influence peddling relating to his appointment to a publicly funded cultural role in Extremadura.
Sanchez’s former right-hand man Santos Cerdan is also under scrutiny amid allegations he took kickbacks on public contracts.
A probe is also underway into former socialist prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who was placed under investigation last month for alleged influence peddling.
Sanchez has vowed to stand firm and stay in post until next year’s general election, but much is likely to depend on what happens in courtrooms up and down Spain over the coming months.
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